The Korean group announces project that will see the small islet of Jukdo turned into a 100 per cent solar-powered community, replacing the four diesel generators that currently provide power.
Hanwha Group has unveiled an ambitious plan to turn a small islet off the coast of Korea into a 100% solar-powered community.
Hanwha Q cells and two other subsidiaries of the Korean solar group will lead on the $2.3 million project, which will transform the island of Jukdo into a renewable haven, removing the four diesel power generators that currently provide electricity for the island’s 70 residents and replacing them with solar panels. The island’s diesel generators currently produce 560kW of electricity daily.
Hanwha will also build an “industrial cluster” on the island that is committed to solar energy and will work on ways to boost the commercial value of the island’s agricultural products.
The project forms part of a wider plan by Hanwha to pour $140 million into the region of Chungcheong to aid its agricultural, commercial and energy development, and was announced at the opening of the Chungnam Center for Creative Economy in provincial capital Cheonan on Friday.
“Korea is still a major energy importer, but if we take one step further to secure clean energy technologies and commercialize them, our business model could lead the world’s renewable energy market,” said President Park Geun-hye at the opening ceremony.
After the completion of the Jukdo project, Hanwha will also seek to bring clean solar energy to six other small islands around Korea.
